A couple in Texas have been charged with the murder of an eight-year-old girl who died of dehydration after allegedly being forced to continuously jump on a trampoline in extreme heat as a punishment.
Odessa Police arrested Daniel and Ashley Schwarz and charged both with murder on October 12 in connection with the death of Jaylin Anne Schwarz.
The pair have reportedly been taken into custody at the Ector County Law Enforcement Center.
The development came after an investigation into the incident on August 29 revealed the child had been "required to jump on the trampoline without stopping for an extended period of time" after being denied breakfast, according to a statement by the Odessa Police Department.
“Further investigation revealed that the 8-year-old child was not allowed to drink any water because she was not jumping," the statement added.
Officers arriving on the scene at the time of the incident in response to a call about a medical emergency found Jaylin had died.
A search warrant was later obtained and the temperature of the trampoline read to be approximately 110F (43C), while the ground temperature was approximately 150F (65C).
“On October 8, 2020, the Odessa Police Department received the final autopsy report, which listed the manner of death as homicide and the cause of death to be dehydration,” police confirmed in their statement.
Odessa Police Department spokesperson Cpl Steve LeSueur meanwhile told the Odessa American newspaper that he could not state if Jaylin was in foster care or not, but confirmed that Mr Schwarz and Ms Schwarz were the non-biological parents of the 8-year-old girl.
